Benin

The Republic of Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, is a West African country with its capital at Porto-Novo. Benin was a part of the "Slave Coast" during the 17th century, with many African slaves being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World for sale to European powers. In 1904, France colonized Benin as "French Dahomey", and it ruled the colony until 1 August 1960, when Benin was granted its independence. In 1975, the communists seized power and created the People's Republic of Benin, which lasted until 1991, when a multi-party democracy was restored. In 2015, Benin had a population of 10,879,829 people, with 42.8% being Christian, 24.4% Muslim, 17.3% voodoo practicioners, 6% animist, 1.9% others, and 6.5% secular.